The Evolution of Friends

I've written before about how much I loved my childhood. A major reason for that joy were the friends I had. We lived in a horseshoe neighborhood that was like a frat house for little kids. They were everywhere. I had a friend Andrew that lived two doors down, we were brothers separated by birth that united only years later. Andrew and I had a pack of friends we ran with that lived close. We were inseparable and vowed to be best friends for life. Then the first round of evolution began. High School came along and Andrew and I started getting interested in opposite things. That pack we ran with started to choose sides to align with and thus new groups were formed and best friends were made again.

High School marked the time of my buddy Brad and Greg becoming my brothers from another mother. We ran around together, played football together, and we thought we would be friends forever. We even decided to go to College together and live with one another for four years. That is when Evolution part two came.

College brought about more and more friends. Every class you went to and party attended you discovered a new friend, this is when Drew became my best friend. We did everything together. We both coached football, loved watching movies, and shared a mutual respect for one another in all areas. We pushed eachother in ways college buddies should and we thought we would be best friends forever. That is when Evolution part three came.

Teaching/Professional life. When I moved to Delaware and started teaching I lost touch with Drew, Brad, and Greg. We tried to keep in touch but we all went in our separate ways that didn't match up. I met a new group of friends. The social studies guys and Bill. I taught with all these guys and we ran around Delaware as the young group of guys and had a blast. Later we added a young buck Scott to the mix and the funniest guy we've ever met, Mcdonough. We all coached together or taught with eachother and it was great. That is when Evolution four came.

New Jobs/Dreams. People started leaving looking for new jobs, dreams, etc... that is when I left, pursuing a new job. We started to lose touch, besides the occasional email but for the most part the group was disbanded. There are a few friends that I still see but this is when Evolution five happens.

Baby. This summer we'll have a baby. This is going to start another evolution of friends. We'll see what comes from this, some might drop off, some might emerge but an evolution will surely happen. A kid changes everything, some people will be ok with that, some will not. Those that are will be a part of the next period in my life.

Over the past 28 years I have really had three friends that have crossed the evolutionary lines. My brother, Max, and Matt. I don't really see my brother that often, nor Max for that matter but we remain close. Matt has been one friend that I have had and still see at least a couple times a month. For starting out not even liking eachother Matt and I have become great friends.

It's funny to think about the evolution of friends. If you think about your own life I'm sure you can come up with your own evolutionary steps. I used to be perplexed by this but I realize it's part of life. Most people move away from their childhood friends, most people head in different directions, and most people start families or get different jobs at different times. It's the friends that you look back upon that make you who you are today. Whether you still talk to them or not you will always have a fond memory or moment you spent with them.